Geometric puzzle



May 5, 1970 H. A. BROOKS ETAL 3,510,134

GEOME'QI'RIC PUZZLE Filed Nov. 20, 1967 F'IG.1.

INVENTORS WOW/9,80 4 5200A: 77 09001505 .6? Caerz ATTOR N EYS UnitedStates Patent 3,510,134 GEOMETRIC PUZZLE Howard A. Brooks and ThaddeusB. Curtz, Ann Arbor, Mich., assignors to KMS Industries, Inc., AnnArbor, Mich., a corporation of Delaware Filed Nov. 20, 1967, Ser No.684,163 Int. Cl. A63f 9/12; A63h 33/06 US. Cl. 273-157 3 Claims ABSTRACTOF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to a geometric puzzle.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a simple puzzle ofsolid objects which can be fitted together to present a completegeometric shape, the clues being embedded in the puzzle.

It is a further object to present a puzzle which challenges the spaceperception capabilities of the player.

Another object of the invention is the forming of a puzzle which isattractive in its dissassembled form as well as its assembled form andwhich can be of interest to persons of all ages,

Other objects and features of this invention will be apparent from thefollowing description and claims in which there is found the manner ofmaking and using the invention and the best mode contemplated by theinventors of carrying out this invention.

Drawings accompany this disclosure and the various views thereof may bebriefly described as:

FIG. 1, a perspective view of the assembled puzzle.

FIG. 2, a side elevation of the assembled puzzle.

FIG. 3, an exploded view of the puzzle showing the respective parts.

FIG. 4, a view of a modified form of construction.

With reference to the drawings, the embodiment shown has a predeterminedshape of a large cube 10 formed of a transparent material such as atransparent plastic. The cube is formed by eight smller shapes which, inthe example shown, are also cubes.

The smaller fragmentary cubes designated 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18are shown in separated form in FIG. 3. When the composite cube is viewedin FIG. 1, it will be seen that there are geometric objects extendingthrough the block 10 which form continuous recognizable patterns. In theexamples shown, these objects are slender rods or recesses or extendedshapes, filamentary in character which match up from block to block inthe smaller cubes.

In FIG. 2, three different shapes are shown in endview cross-section. Inblock 11 is a triangular rod 21; in block 14, a round rod 24; in block15, a square rod and in block 18, a rectangular rod 28. The continuationof these rods into blocks 12, 13, 16 and 17 is illustrated in both FIGS.1 and 3. Other rods disposed perpendicular to those above describedinclude a small triangular rod 31, a square rod 32, a rectangular rod33, and a slender round rod 34.

It will be seen that the filaments or rods 21, 24, 25, 28 continue asrods 21A, 24A, 25A and 28A in blocks 12, 13, 16 and 17. Also, rods 31,32, 33, 34 continue as rods 31A, 32A, 33A and 34A in blocks 15, 16, 17and 18.

Thus, the embedded filaments or rods, which can be in attractive colorsas well as varying shapes, serve as clues to enable a player to assemblethe puzzle so that all of the embedded shapes match up. The puzzle canbe made more difiicult by making all of the rods of the same sham,color, and size so that location only is the clue. Variations ofcombinations of shapes and colors can be used.

When all of the blocks are disassembled and jumbled, some littlepatience and persistence is required to reassemble in the properpositioning to bring all the embedded clues into proper alignment.

It will be recognized that other geometric shapes than those illustratedmay be used for the overall shape, the fragmentary shapes, and theembedded shapes, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In FIG. 4, a modified construction is shown. It will be understood thatthe individual parts of the master threedimensional figure may be formedas hollow members as well as solid. For example, in FIG. 4, there isshown a cube 40 with a hollow interior but still carrying embeddedgeometric forms such as the rectangular shaft 42 and the triangularshaft 44 to align with similar structures in adjacent hollow cubes. Thisconstruction presents some manufacturing advantages and reduces the costof material. It serves equally well in the purpose of providing a unitelement of a larger geometric design.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A puzzle which comprises a solid geometric threedimensional, mastershape formed of transparent material fragmented into a plurality ofsmaller discrete, unconnected three-dimensional geometric shapes oncleavage planes, each having formed therein, at selected orientations,permanently located, additional geometric configurations visible throughthe material from which the master shape is made and cleaved at thecleavage surfaces of the smaller shapes to serve as clues inre-assembling the master shape.

2. A puzzle which comprises a geometric master block of predeterminedshape formed of a plurality of smaller discrete, unconnected geometricblocks, each formed with a hollow interior surrounded by transparentwalls which interfit at adjacent surfaces to form the master block, eachsmaller block having formed within and between the walls thereof, atselected orientations, permanently located, additional visible geometricconfigurations which terminate and align at adjacent interfittingsurfaces to serve as clues in the re-assembly of the master block.

3. A puzzle which comprises a plurality of eight individual,identically-shaped, discrete, unconnected cubes formed of transparentmaterial and adapted to fit together to form a larger tube, eachindividual cube having, within its sides, two or more straight visiblefilaments, each of a partirular color, disposed off-center and extendingperpendicular to and terminating at two parallel sides of that cube,each filament in each individual cube being disposed to register inend-to-end relation with a similar filament of a similar color in anadjacent cube when the individual cubes are properly assembled into thelarger cube.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,992,829 7/1961 Hopkins 273-1,236,234 8/1917 Troje 46-23 2,280,609 4/ 1942 Williamson 273-1573,069,805 12/1962 Burrows.

3,222,072 12/ 1965 Dreyer 273-157 ANTON O. OECHSLE, Primary Examiner US.01. X.R. 46-24

